How to Eat an Elephant

SETH GODIN: What Would a Professional Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Over the past two years, I've seen my job description increase in both the diversity of the kinds of things I do, and in the amount of time I spend doing these things. This post by Seth Godin makes a lot of sense to me, so I thought I'd point it out.

Yes, that's what she said.

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Said by a reporter on NPR this morning:

"As I drove into Washington DC this morning, there was an energy in the air. It's crowded and busy here, but even the traffic officers are smiling as they wave you by."

Uh huh.

Thoughts on Malcolm Gladwell (kind of)

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:06:00 +0000

This morning, I ran across an article about Malcom Gladwell by Richard Handler on CBC.com. Having read Gladwell's first two books (The Tipping Point and Blink) and several of his essays, I was interested to learn a little more about him.

Early in the article, Handler notes that while in college at the University of Toronto, Gladwell considered himself a 'rogue conservative', and even had a poster of Ronald Reagan on his dorm room wall.

Handler follows this by saying his early writings have been attacked by several notable liberal writers as mis-informed and over-simplistic. He then goes on to say:

"Perhaps as a result of these attacks, Gladwell acknowledges that his most recent book, Outliers: The Story of Success, is more socially serious.

The old boy-conservative (he's now 45) is showing his liberal stripes. He's interested in equality, the hallmark of a progressive..."

Having read both of Gladwell's first two books (The Tipping Point twice), I was surprised to learn of his conservative roots. To me he comes across as extremely balanced. He goes out of his way to present all sides of a problem and provides strong, quantifiable data to support his ideas. Unlike most other "conservative" authors, he avoids making emotion or opinion-based arguments, and lets the numbers to the talking. This is one of the aspects of Gladwell's writing I most appreciate.

Two things struck me when I read this article. The first was the way the author was so quick to attribute Gladwell's emphasis on equality to some kind of "liberal awakening," as though Gladwell had never explored this theme before. Even a cursory reading of either of his first two books reveals belief in the importance of equality (racial, gender, etc.). On top of that, Handler talks about equality as if the concept was pioneered in some liberal think-tank. Equality is important to EVERYONE. The fact that there are perceived sides to this issue really bothers me. (To be fair, those who label themselves "liberals" have done a much better job of bringing the issues of equality into public consciousness recently.)

The article also made me realize something about myself. It's hard for me to acknowledge that I share common ground with people I identify as my ideological counterparts. I prefer the idea that those things I value are unique to me (and people like me). In this mind-set, those I see as different than me can't possibly share any of my values. This keeps things neat and clean with no room for ambiguity on any issue.

Before we can address the issues on which we disagree, we must be willing to recognize the common ground we share.

Top Words for 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:22:00 +0000

1. Bailout
2 (tie). obamamentum, obamaBot, obamacize, obamarama, obamaNation, obamanomics, Obamican, obamafy, obamamania, and obamacam. (For more Obama-isms, click here.)
I'm not making this up... click HERE to listen to a podcast of the complete list, or HERE to read more about it.

Earth on the Brink of an Ice Age

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:43:00 +0000

From an article on Russia's Pravda web site: "The earth is now on the brink of entering another Ice Age, according to a large and compelling body of evidence from within the field of climate science. Many sources of data which provide our knowledge base of long-term climate change indicate that the warm, twelve thousand year-long Holocene period will rather soon be coming to an end, and then the earth will return to Ice Age conditions for the next 100,000 years."

I read quite a bit on this particular topic, and I'd say this is probably the most comprehensive, articulate article I've read so far.

Find the rest of the article HERE.

Rat Bait - Originally Published Nov. 21, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:05:00 +0000

So let me get this straight. The federal government will give $25B to the big three (Ford, GM & Chrysler) to keep them from going under. The main stipulation to the 'loan' is that all three must present Congress with a plan to become profitable again. If the plan is deemed acceptable by March 31 of next year, an additional $25B will be given. And, judging by the things Barney Frank says, this cycle could continue ad-nauseum (presumably until we have a federally owned car industry).
First of all, what is their definition of 'profitable'? By what criteria are they going to evaluate the plan? Surely they can't mean competitive on a level with Toyota.
Secondly, if it only takes four months to come up with the perfect plan, what the hoo-ha were they doing over the summer when gas prices were twice what they are now and suv's were rusting on car lots? Will we find a way to retro-fit more than half theirr production lines and restructure their pricing models? Until they make cars that can compete with Asian models in quality, fuel-efficiency and affordability, they will continue to lose.
Finally, why on earth would anyone who says they want to cut down on lobbying in D.C. set up an incentive plan like this? What's being proposed is a plan to lay out the biggest piece of cheese the UAW union has ever seen and then hand them a detailed map to the maze. No wonder all the hotels in D.C. are full.
Why don't we put Obama in the same time machine he took back to 1998 to stop global warming and let him work this out too?
Sheesh.

It's time for a new language

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:04:00 +0000

I don't mean a new idea - not even a new collection or organization of ideas. The ideas are there, as they have always been. The underlying truth that unites these ideas – that “All men are created equal…” – rings as true in the hearts of Americans today as it did the day it was first penned.
We need another word for conservative… and liberal, for that matter. We need a new way to talk about those things everyone finds important: community involvement, personal responsibility, financial and economic stability, environmental stewardship, the role of faith in everyday life, race and gender equality, personal and national security, and how all this fits into living and working in an increasingly interconnected world.
Most of all, we need a way to talk about these things without alienating half the population; a way of relating to one another rather than playing upon stereotypes; a language that validates and encourages our shared dreams and concerns, that sees our differences as opportunities for growth, and offers all of us the renewed hope in a better way of doing things.

USA Service

noreply@blogger.com (Rock) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:02:00 +0000

I've seen a few ads for this site, and heard about it a few times on various news sites, so I thought I'd take a look at it for myself.I'm always skeptical when it comes to politicians and "vollunteer-ism"... particularly when it coincides with the start of an incoming administration (whether donkey or elephant). As a marketing and publicity professional, it's hard not to be cynical about things like this.Anywho, like I said, I took some time to actually look into this site, and I have to say, I think it's an excellent idea. In just a few minutes I found several vollunteer opportunities in my immediate area, and many, many others within an hour's drive.Most people in my various social circles are involved in their to some degree. Though we all volunteer in some capacity from time to time, we're always interested in other opportunities nearby. Right now, it looks like this site could be the answer for other people out there like us.There was a short headline yesterday about a bar in LA using the site to publicize an event that would give free drinks to people who stopped by and threw shoes at a picture of President Bush. The site removed the event after the headline ran, but issued a statement saying, "...we are not in the business of regulating this. We're just in the business of giving people opportunities."On one hand, I'm glad they are removing items like the shoe throw. On the other hand, I worry that volunteer events held by other organizations with religious affiliations will be censored, as well. Let's home the site maintains its policy of non-regulation in the future.